This tiny flycatcher stays in the lower levels of Amazonian forest. Its broad bill, rufous crown, and black-edged cheek markings distinguish it from similar spadebills.
About 9 cm long, it is mostly olive-brown with a yellowish lower belly and brownish throat. The rufous crown and light-brown ear patch are edged in black. Its flat bill is broad at the base and two-toned; the sexes look alike.
It forages in the Amazonian forest understory, usually alone or in pairs, and remains inconspicuous in the lower levels.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.